Well, who would have thought it? It turns out that London isn't that bike-friendly.
The Copenhagenize index of bicycle-friendly cities has been revealed for 2015, and London does not feature in the top 20. The index studied 122 cities across the world with a regional population of over 600,000, awarding each city points on thirteen different categories, including infrastructure, safety, traffic calming, politics and social acceptance.
London featured in 16th place in 2011, suggesting that either it has got worse for cyclists, or it has been overtaken by other, more forward-thinking cities across the world. Denmark's capital Copenhagen secured top spot, replacing Amsterdam, which slipped to second - however, the Dutch are clearly the country to beat, with three cities featuring in the top 20.
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Only in March, Boris Johnson announced a billion pound plan to revolutionise cycling with Dutch-style segregated cycle ways, a 15 mile 'bicycle Crossrail' and the changing of dangerous junctions. Safety has been a big concern for cyclists in the capital, with 80 deaths and 22,988 accidents occurring between 2009 and 2013.
The index states on its website that "The Copenhagenize Index gives cities marks for their efforts towards reestablishing the bicycle as a feasible, accepted and practical form of transport... We work with cities around the world and we wanted to be able to give them a score in order to determine the best and most effective method for re-establishing the bicycle on the urban landscape."
So get your lycra on and get on your bike to one of the twenty cities below (getting a McDonald's while you're there). Just give London a wide berth for now.
Rank [last year]
1. [2] COPENHAGEN
2. [1] AMSTERDAM
3. [3] UTRECHT
4. [NEW] STRASBOURG
5. [8] EINDHOVEN
6. [9] MALMÖ
7. [6] NANTES
8. [5] BORDEAUX
9. [7] ANTWERP
10. [4] SEVILLE
11. [17] BARCELONA
12. [10] BERLIN
13. [NEW] LJUBLJANA
14. [NEW] BUENOS AIRES
15. [11] DUBLIN
16. [NEW] VIENNA
17. [19] PARIS
18. [NEW] MINNEAPOLIS
19. [20] HAMBURG
20. [14] MONTRÉAL
(Source: copenhagenize.eu)
(Image: Rex)
